


Inherit the Moonlight

by MahTohSka



Category: Video Blogging RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Original Character(s), Transformation, Were-Creatures, Werewolf, Witches, werewolf!mark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21823354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MahTohSka/pseuds/MahTohSka
Summary: A family curse has afflicted Mark since he turned eighteen. Is there a way to save the man from the beast? Or will he be consumed by the feral nature of it?
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Amy Nelson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

“Jesus, Mark, are you feeding twenty people?” Amy asked as she looked at the massive pot of pasta noodles cooking on the stove.

“I’m a big growing boy, and a big boy’s gotta eat,” Mark started to dice a chicken breast, proceeding to cook it in the oiled pan. “But it’s nice to plan meals ahead, nothing wrong with leftovers. Besides, I’m cooking for both of us, ‘cause I wanna impress you.”

They had been seeing and dating each other for a while now, and if Mark wanted to make a good date night impression, it started with making dinner for two. A corner of Amy’s lips curled up at the gesture, giving Mark a peck on his cheek, her chin resting on his shoulder. Dinner ate, some relaxing on the couch watching Netflix before it was time for bed; she figured to stay with Mark for the night, it had gotten late and didn’t want to drive back to her place. 

“Well … I guess I’d be fine if you’d wanna … move in? Permanently?” Mark sheepishly asked her as they rose to make their way to his bedroom. “I don’t wanna pressure you or anything, it’s just we’ve been dating for a year and I figured we’re comfortable with each other to the point where we could -”

“Mark,” she stopped him from going further. The thought had been on her mind the past month. Amy took a step toward him, intertwining her fingers with his. “I’d be fine with it, too.” 

His face instantly lit up, internally he was jumping and screaming with joy; Mark lightly squeezed his hand that held hers, his goofy grin plastered on. 

**One Month Later**

Amy stirred in bed, hearing a noise coming from the garage; she turned to find Mark’s side of the bed empty, thinking he got restless and was in his office possibly recording a game for a future video. Not wanting to disturb his recording, Amy gotten out of bed to investigate the source. Quietly tip-toeing down to the garage door, she carefully turned the knob; she was not prepared for what she saw as she peeked, immediately closing the door, tuning to sit on the floor with her back to the wall. 

She attempted to calm herself down before venturing to crack open the door to reassure herself she saw what she saw. Amy kept her breathing to a barely audible level, hoping her snooping going unnoticed by the thing on the other side. In a large chain link kennel Mark had built for Henry and Chica, sat not two dogs - the latter two were inside the house - but a furry beast the size of a fully grown male black bear, maybe a little larger. It lay napping behind the fence, but it’s nap had been disturbed by catching noise of a door being open and smelling a new scent; through the crack Amy saw it rise on all fours, and give a low growl. That prompted her to quickly shut the door and rush up to Mark’s office, this had to be brought to his attention. Giving a few raps on his door, she expected an answer from him, but receiving none and didn’t want to disturb, she grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling a note and shoved it under the door. 

The animal, whatever it was, probably snuck in somehow, Amy was hoping the creature would escape the way it came in. She tried to push the brief image of the furry beast out of her mind as she crawled back into bed. 

_‘Mark - I didn’t want to disturb your recording, but there was something in the garage last night. Something big and black and furry, like a really large wolf. How did it get in??’_

His brows faintly drew together before his features smoothed out, internally kicking himself Mark didn’t disclose this to Amy when they first started seeing each other. He heaved out a sigh, going down to the kitchen where Amy was making breakfast for herself, not getting a ‘good morning’ right away; Mark could see what disturbed her, plus she was kinda spacing out as she stirred her coffee. 

“Hey,” he softly spoke, getting a small jump out of her. 

“Oh god, hi,” she sighed out after surprisingly getting spooked. Amy rubbed half her face, stopping her constant stirring. “I was caught up in my thoughts. What’s up?”

“I, uh, I got your note,” Mark was doing best to break the news as carefully as possible. “There was … something I needed to tell you, but you … might wanna sit down.”

“Mark, if you wanted another dog, you could’ve just let me know, but maybe not get one so big?” Mark took her hand, leading Amy over to the couch as he sat her down; Mark stood there for a second for the best approach, opting to sit beside Amy. 

“I don’t know why I didn’t tell you this when we first started seeing each other, I feel like an idiot now, but bottom line … that big furry, really large wolf … was me.” He briefly paused. “I’m a werewolf.”

Amy was speechless at first, she gave Mark a puzzled look like he was pulling her leg; she shifted in her seat, facing him completely. 

“You’re joking …”

“IIII’m not. It’s true.”

“Well, since when?”

“When?”

“Yeah, like, when did you become a werewolf?”

“It’s kinda boring, you wouldn’t want to know …”

“Mark, I’m just trying to understand so I can process this clearly and know that it’s true. When, or how, did you become one?”

He averted his gaze for a moment, taking a deep breath. “When I turned eighteen after I graduated high school, I didn’t know what was happening to me. It was like a … lightswitch got turned on and I couldn’t control this … thing inside me. I was embarrassed and scared to tell my parents and Dee.” He paused for a moment, taking a hard gulp. “I didn’t have the courage to say anything until my dad was on his deathbed.” 

Amy reached out, holding Mark’s hand in hers. He took another deep breath through his nose. “I asked him, ‘Why am I like this? What’s happened to me? How?’, and that’s when he told me when he was stationed in Korea, he had met an old woman on the side of a road while he was heading out on a date with my mom. He helped her with something and apparently they have their own version of witches or whatever, but she stared my father deep in the eyes and said something my dad didn’t completely understand, but my mom overheard what the old lady said.”

“What was it?” Amy seemed on the edge of her seat as she listened. 

“She said something like, ‘Learn to control it, or it will consume. The son will inherit the father’s moonlight, but Dalnim will not always shine her face on him.’ I’m pretty sure that was more of a curse than a blessing for helping her, but when the first full moon of that month came around, he transformed. How my mom managed to stay with him until the divorce I’ll never know. When my brother Tom was born, my dad thought _he_ was going to have the curse, Dad just didn’t know when. Then, surprise, two years later I came into the world.”

“Did he think the same about you?”

“I don’t think he did, ‘cause he figured first born kid’s gotta be the one. And he figured something was bound to happen a certain age. He waited on Tom’s sixteenth and eighteenth birthday, nothing happened. At first, my dad couldn’t fully put a finger on why he himself stopped changing but also why Tom hadn’t started. He was thankful the curse got lifted off him after I was born, but he got so blinded by being freed from it that he failed to make the connection until I brought it up to him.”

“That it was actually _you_ who got the curse.”

Mark slowly nodded. “He figured Tom would’ve changed on his twenty-first, but when I told him what was happening to me, he felt like a fool. He should’ve been there for me, to help me, should’ve made that realization when he didn’t changed on the first full moon after I was born.” He paused for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt. “I should’ve told him the day after I first transformed. I was so scared, I wish I had someone there who understood what I was going through. My anxieties, my nerves, my fears, they all got the best of me until it was too late.”

“Was there any advice your dad gave you before he passed?” Amy propped her free arm up on the back of the couch, resting her head on her hand.

“Just don’t let it consume me, and I’ll be okay.”

“What does it mean by ‘consume you’, like you’ll go rabid or feral?” 

Mark shrugged. “I guess so. Hasn’t happened. I mean, I guess there have been some episodes where I can’t register friend from food, but that’s if I forgot to load up on a shit ton of carbs and protein the during the cycle.”

“That’s why you make a meal for twenty people once a month?” 

“Basically, but that also happens outside of the cycle. So either way.”

Amy slowly nodded, glad to get the big question out of the way, but curious to ask, “Who else knows?”

“Other than Tyler, Bob, and Wade, and now you, no one else,” he shrugged. Mark sensed something in her eyes. “Still kinda skeptical?”

Amy sighed, trying to find the right words and processing information. “I don’t want to discredit your story, but yeah? Kind of?”

“Come to the garage around midnight, I’ll text Tyler, tell him the sitch. He’s the one who’s watched over me to make sure I don’t do anything stupid when I’m the other guy. He was out of town for the first night, but he’ll be back tonight.” Mark brushed his thumb over Amy’s, asking in a soft, low tone, “Do you trust me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I wish you told me sooner, though. Hell, if you told me five months from now I’d have a different answer,” Amy scooted closer to him. “Of course I trust you. Always have. But you’re an idiot sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know,” Mark smirked a bit. “I’m the biggest idiot you’ll ever know.” 

They shared a kiss, Mark made a noise knowing he forgot to do something. “Crap, I have to make a thumbnail!” He got off the couch, rushing upstairs. “I love you, Amy! That kiss was great!”

It was getting to be ten at night when Tyler showed up, looking slightly exhausted from driving long hours on the road; when he laid eyes on Mark, the taller man saw the agitation showing in his eyes, which was common to see before transformation happened. 

“Did you load up?” he asked as Mark closed the garage door. 

“Yeah, I did, I always do,” came an uncharacteristic (to Amy anyway) response from the shorter man, annoyed and growly. 

“Don’t get snippy, I was just asking. Did the first night go okay?” Tyler pulled up a camping chair by Mark’s vehicle, grabbing a second one for Amy. 

“Felt sore, but other than that, fine,” Mark did his first set of stretches, lacing his fingers behind his back, arms straight as he arched his back behind him. Amy noticed Mark’s mood and demeanor had changed a couple hours before Tyler arrived, those soulful brown eyes turned broody, irate; he’d scratch his skin nearly every fifteen minutes, giving a low annoyed growl. 

“So, what is it about eating a lot of food before changing? Does it take a lot of energy?” Amy sat down next to Tyler as the taller one kept an eye on Mark. 

“Yeah, so, basically, all that transformation requires energy. If a werewolf doesn’t eat enough before changing they’re left extremely hungry after it’s done and they just go on a hunt for anything to make up for the loss,” Tyler explained. “And I mean hunt for anything.” He leaned closer to Amy, lowering his voice somewhat. “Back in Cincinnati, he almost got me one night when he escaped the garage. Only thing I got from it was a scar on my back. I was scared to continue helping dog sit, but after that he seemed to have gotten it under control.”

“I always got it under control,” Mark started to huff, doing a couple neck rolls.

“How about that other time you nearly bit Wade’s hand off?” Tyler mentioned, annoyance in his tone. “Or the other time you forgot and almost got me killed. Again. Bob nearly got his neck torn open. Count how many times you nearly killed us, Mark. And then when you moved here …”

“I had gotten a little more under control,” Mark lightly snarled. “You don’t need to remind me of the shit I did then. Look, I know it was tough on you every Skype call you were still in Ohio while I lived out here, and you weren’t here to stop me from doing dumb things, but I think this is starting to turn around and I’m able to remember to load up.”

“Yeah, but you’re still an idiot,” Tyler relaxed in his seat more. 

“Yes, we know. It’s been very well established, now can you come crack my back? Please?” Tyler sighed out, rising. Mark crossed his arms like a dead person, the taller man easily wrapping his arms around Mark’s body and pulled him up, Tyler bent backwards; an audible crack was heard, Mark letting out a satisfied noise subsequently being let back down. 

“Was there a period where you forgot every day?” Amy sat forward, another pressing question was on her mind, “Did you kill someone?”

That question caught Mark off guard for a second, he cleared his throat, stretching his back. “Uhh … there … may have been a month … or two, before we met, where I couldn’t get … everything on track like it should and … may or may not have … done something unsavory.” He twisted his back to the left when there was a loud snap in his spine, Mark tried to hide the rising agony but when another crack sounded he started to keel over on his hands and knees.

Tyler looked at the time on his phone. “That’s … a little early to start changing …”

“I know, I know but …,” Mark stifled a cry when he felt his leg snap, “it did the same last night.” He crawled over to the overly large kennel, a low snarl rose from him after he felt muscles contract and expand; Tyler quickly shut the door and locked it, taking his seat. Amy feared for Mark’s safety as she watched him writhe and twist on the ground, his stifled cries and deep growls echoing in the garage. 

Just like the dozens of times before, every transformation was just as painful; his back arched like a cat, Mark did his best to stall the changes as he quickly worked to get his clothes off to prevent them tearing. Every movement to take his shirt off was agony, nerves on fire; that piece of clothing tossed to the side, he struggled to stand as the sweatpants and boxers were removed. Mark nearly fell over in the process but managed to land back on his hands and feet after shedding the last pieces off. The bones and muscles in his legs crack and shifted to canine limbs, a cry escaping his lips, his body expanding with muscles bulging and bones restructuring themselves; a tail was starting to sprout at his coccyx, black fur growing at the same rate his body was changing.

Mark’s face twisted and grimaced, taking on a more canine and wolfish appearance with the head resembling a wolf more and more; lips peeled back in a snarl showing sharp fangs, ears repositioning themselves, his eyes opened to reveal a burnt gold color. The nearly transformed werewolf’s breaths were labored, heavy, as human cries became whines and growls; his hands remained human for the most part, the claws nearly digging into the concrete. Reaching his full size, the werewolf stood up on his powerful hind legs and unleashed a howl as the transformation was complete. 

Amy had a shiver run down her spine as she gazed upon her boyfriend werewolf; the newly changed Mark stood on his feet for another moment, taking in his surroundings as he sniffed the air to recognize familiar scents. The black werewolf noticed a new smell coming to his nose, gold eyes locking on Amy’s stare; the beast slowly got down on all fours, his muzzle gingerly extended to the chain link fence, cautiously checking out the new person at the safe distance he was. 

“Is … does he recognize me?” she leaned to Tyler. 

“Well, judging by his body language, he’s curious. Mark the human knows you, but Mark the werewolf? Not the slightest. I’d go and make contact with him, let him know you’re not a threat.”

“I’m … I’m kinda scared,” she glanced between Tyler and the werewolf. 

“Take it easy, approach him like you would to a dog. You shouldn’t have any problems with him after that.” Amy nodded, cautiously approaching the kennel. She held her hand out, palm down in a loose fist; the werewolf inside took a few sniffs of the new person’s hand, his thoughts gradually clicking together that this person was someone the wolf knew. As soon as she saw the tail wag, Amy let out a sigh of relief, scratching the tip of the werewolf’s muzzle. She sat on her heels, trying to scratch his chin; the wolf gave a few small whines, his paw like hand up against the fence. 

Amy looked how large Mark’s hand had grown, the palm and under the fingers were rough with pads like on Chica and Henry’s paws; she placed her own hand up to Mark’s, feeling small against his. “Is … is it safe to go in?” she turned her head back to Tyler, the taller man shrugging, digging the key to the lock from his pocket and handed it to Amy. The wolf backed away, half of his body wiggling along with his overly excited wagging tail; Amy took one step inside the large kennel before she had a werewolf the size of a fully grown black bear on her. Her chin and face were immediately greeted by a wet tongue as the wolf continued his kisses even when Amy tried to get Mark to calm down by pushing him away but it proved futile. 

“Mark, please,” Amy’s attempts to get the wolf off her were saved when Tyler let out a whistle getting the werewolf’s attention. She took the brief minute to recover and get herself comfortable before the werewolf was on her again; he sniffed more of her, registering her scent and getting it in his head that this was his mate. Mark walked two circles around Amy before he settled down right behind her, crossing his paw like hands and rested his head on them. Amy hesitated for a second if it was alright to lean back against him - she scooted back and tried it out, not getting any response from the large wolf. 

She ran a hand through his black fur, feeling how soft it was; this was a new thing in her life - her boyfriend being a werewolf. Amy kept in mind that there can be some unpredictability with the man you love being a wild animal three to four nights a month, but at this moment in time, she felt safe around him and continued to pet Mark’s fur, hearing his heartbeat as she pressed her ear against him; she didn’t notice her eyes were drooping, soon falling asleep. It took Tyler a half hour to see Amy had passed out on Mark, being considerate as he went to grab a blanket from the living room and draped it over her; with his main concern, the werewolf, sleeping as well, and probably will for the rest of the night, Tyler kept the kennel door unlocked as he moved back into the main house to sleep. 

“G’night, you two,” he whispered to the slumbering couple before closing the garage door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2019\. The year Mark turned thirty years old. Another milestone. Another part of the curse coming to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seems a little clumsy. Blame my overly caffinated brain.

**Present Day**

“Goddammit … goddammit … OH GODDAMMIT!”

“That’s, uh, quite a, uh, hand ya got there, Wade.”

“Shuddup, Bob, this is _your_ fault!”

“You’re sure it’s not Barbara’s?”

“We’re not even playing the Rayman deck!” Wade nearly exploded after his Uno hand rose to 20 cards.

“Just believe in the heart of the cards, Wade,” Bob was heard during the stream.

“I mean, you never know, Wade,” Mark commented, “for all we know, Barbara could be all omniscient and in every AI in every deck we play.”

“Mark, don’t make him any more paranoid than he already has been,” Bob chuckled. 

Mark stretched in his chair. “I dunno,” he kept playing his bit, “there could be a distinct chance.” He heard and felt a hard crack in his spine near the middle, Mark let out a harsh cry, trying to get over the rising immense pain quickly but his threshold was becoming thin as another crack reached between his shoulder blades. Through his grimace and mounting agony, Mark cracked his eyes open and started to see a flood of messages in the chat from concerned viewers; through his headphones he heard Bob and Wade ask if he was okay. 

A discomforting sensation of his muscles contracting and expanding ran down his back, the same feeling carried on to his arms and legs. Mark tensed for that moment, taking deep breaths as the agony dissipated; he blinked hard several times to clear his vision, the surrounding grounding him to be present as he got his tongue and brain working again. 

“Sorry, guys, my back just did a big crack which I did not expect to escalate that much,” he tried to play off the pain. “All I did was stretch!”

“How are you holding up now?” Bob inquired. 

Mark took a second to register if he was actually fine in that moment, but something in the back of his mind was giving off warning signals that what just happened could recur; his body felt like it wanted to tear out of its current form, a deep snarl formed in Mark’s chest and attempted to crawl out, but Mark found a way to make it sound like a deep belch as he unleashed it through his mouth. 

“Excuse me,” Mark patted his chest a couple times.

“Whoa, jeez, big boy belch, okay,” Wade played along with whatever bit Mark was trying to mask the snarl Wade has heard so many times before Mark moved away from Cincinnati. 

“I don’t think any of us can match that,” Bob knew what was happening on Mark’s end, picking up the cue from Wade. “Do we, uh … want to end it here?”

“No, please I’m so close!” Mark put on a braver face and clicked on the ‘UNO!’ button as he had two cards left. 

“How about we -”

“No. Please. Guys!”

“Uhhh, frames!”

“Frames!”

All three streamers quit the game, each one saying their respective goodbyes before they ended the stream. Having the recording off, Bob and Wade were left with Mark to check in on him. 

“What the hell just happened?” Bob leaned forward a bit in his chair. He could see Mark was in some kind of pain. “Talk to us, Mark.”

“Like I said, all I did was stretch then I felt, and heard, two big cracks in my spine. One in the middle and one between my shoulders, then my body just, my muscles were rippling down my whole body,” Mark somewhat slouched in his seat, staring off into space as the pain was still there but it was a dull throb across his entire frame. 

“Are you okay now?” Wade faintly knitted his brows. 

“Yeah … no … I dunno. It’s still there but -,” Mark doubled over in his chair, ripping his headphones off as another wave of pain wracked his body. He shoved himself from the desk, collapsing to the ground; he couldn’t hear Bob and Wade’s calls for him, all he could hear was his own heartbeat in its cage and his heavy breathing. Every fiber in his body was on fire, Mark stifled a cry as he felt muscles painfully tense and bones trying to reform themselves. 

He rose to his hands and knees, a wave of nausea coming and going as Mark tried to calm himself and the beast inside down; the agony battered him, Mark lifting his upper half as he tore his shirt open in dramatic fashion, short strands of fur growing across his torso and down his arms. His pants nearly ripped completely as his legs shifted to appear more animal like but to Mark’s proportions; he looked down at his arms and hands to see the fur became very short from his wrists to his fingers, the nails becoming claws. He struggled to his feet, doubling over while his entire frame grew slightly larger and taller than his human form. 

“Mark?” He could hear Bob and Wade call for him from where he stood, his hearing picking them up. His two friends saw Mark snap his head towards the camera, seeing the damage being done - his eyes were gold, what could have passed for thick facial hair formed itself like very bushy muttonchops along his jaw, Mark’s ears had become pointed. 

“You almost look like Benecio Del Toro in that Wolfman remake,” Wade commented. 

“Mark? You with us?” Bob inquired. 

Mark fully stood up, his breathing heavy while he turned his whole body to face them. He looked down at his hands then the rest of his transformed look, shaking with nerves and fear of the unknown - why did this happen? What prompted this sudden change? He shuffled over on his nearly wolfish looking feet over to the desk, and pretty much collapsed in the chair. Bob and Wade could see Mark spacing out, unable to register what was going on in his mind; on his end, Mark couldn’t stop asking himself why this was happening, feeling lost after the extreme pain he endured. 

“Mark, you gotta say at least something. Bob and I are pretty freaked out what happened just now,” he heard Wade crystal clear as the headphones were still sitting there by the keyboard. 

“At least something,” Mark croaked out, surprisingly. He put his head forward from its slouched over position, realization in his eyes. “Holy shit, I still have my normal register.”

“You’re looking like what’s his face from that reboot of Teen Wolf,” Bob marveled at the hybrid transformation. “Can you hear us?”

“Yeah, I can hear you,” came a somewhat grumble as Mark sat up in his chair. “I feel weird all over. Not in the good way.” He paused, the lights and the camera putting him off even though he was only being seen by his two friends. “Can we call it quits here? I need to lie down and try to make sense of this.”

“Sure, bud.”

Wade looked over at his calendar, his brows knitting more. “Hey, Mark, wasn’t the full moon last week?”

Mark felt like he was hit by a truck when he heard that. Not only that, it was three in the afternoon; he spaced out again, connecting the dots to the curse the old woman placed on his father. _‘Dalnim will not always shine her face on him’_ \- that’s the one part that puzzled him and one that also escaped his mind now and then until he remembered that portion. In a flurry, and as gently as he could, Mark typed in the name ‘Dalnim’, Google showing him that Dalnim was the Korean goddess of the moon. Now it was making sense. 

“Guys, I think the one part of the curse is becoming true,” Mark lowly spoke. “There was a part saying the moon won’t always shine on me, and me being an idiot didn’t put together what that meant, I shrugged that part off from time to time but for some reason it stuck in the back of my mind.”

“You forgot about that until now?” Bob sounded surprised. 

“Well, it was there in the back of my mind, and I kept waiting for it to happen, but as the years went on I kinda forgot about it ‘cause never came to light,” Mark got a little defensive. “And here I am looking like a Teen Wolf reject, now remembering that part of the curse.” 

“It’s okay, Mark, we forgive your stupidity,” Wade teased. 

“Thanks, Wade, I appreciate that.”

“Will your body changed back to normal?” 

Mark heaved a sigh. “I dunno, Bob. Maybe if I take a nap it should clear up.”

“If you need us out there to help with anything, call us.”

He nodded. They said their goodbyes before they hung up the connection; Mark rubbed his changed face, heavily breathing through his nose. More muscle aches invaded his body, Mark groaned as he shuffled to his and Amy’s bedroom. He quickly emailed his team and manager he won’t be able to attend their meetings for that day, saying he had become sick and didn’t want to spread. As Mark laid down, his stomach deeply growled, he groaned loudly at the nagging hunger plaguing him; the need to hunt was growing, but Mark was still in control, he growled subsequently curling himself up in a fetal position on the bed. 

As another wave of muscle aches agonized him, Mark let out a series of whimpers, gritting his fangs; Amy was just coming inside from running errands, two bags of In-And-Out in one hand, she called Mark’s name but getting no answer, she first checked his office but heard his whines from their bedroom. Upon opening the door she could see what was wrong - Mark was half transformed, which brought up something that was on her mind as he was nearing thirty years old. If the curse didn’t come into effect until he turned eighteen, what would that mean for the other part to come true? She worried he might change outside of a full moon cycle, but it concerned her more that this was in the middle of the afternoon and a week after the cycle. Amy connected the dots that this is other portion coming to light, knowing Mark had turned thirty a couple months ago.  
She set the burger take out down at the edge of the bed, crawling in next to Mark; she pulled away his hands from his face to get a look at him. Despite the slightly furry and hairy appearance, he looked relatively human minus pointed ears and gold eyes. Amy kissed his forehead, petting his hair. 

“How much does it hurt?”

“Everywhere,” he groaned. “My whole body aches every five minutes. I’m hungry, I wish this never happened to me, I feel miserable all over.”

“Well, I brought In-And-Out. Hopefully that should suffice. If you wanna eat my bag, go for it. I can make myself something else,” Amy crossed her legs as she faced Mark, rubbing his arm. 

“You’re too good for me, Amy,” he moaned, managing to grin. “You’re the best.”

She kissed his head. “Right back atcha. I’ll be back up, okay? Just eat and get comfy.” 

Mark sniffled, nodding. He slowly rose to grab the take out, practically inhaling the burgers and fries in a matter of seconds; feeling his stomach settle down and the primal instinct to hunt had disappeared, Mark stripped to his underwear and slipped into bed, curling underneath the covers. Half hour later, Amy rejoined him, getting into comfortable clothing as she snuggled up next to Mark in bed. She saw he was still in pain from the muscle aches wrecking havoc on his body; Amy wasn’t a trained professional, but she had Mark lay on his belly as she massaged his back. 

He wasn’t sure to cry in pain or groan in satisfaction from his girlfriend working his back and arms. He was thankful Amy was doing her best in this situation, however nightmarish it seemed. Mark wanted the pains to stop, hoping fully transforming would rid them, but knew a change outside of the cycle, as painful as it already was during the phase, would be tenfold worse. He sighed through his nose, letting his mind drift off and sleep; at least he was able to do that to try and forget his body felt like it was on fire.

Amy saw Mark was falling asleep subsequently getting off, curling up next to him, and spooning him as she added an extra layer of emotional comfort to him while Amy held him close. In his sleep, he felt her against his body, being kept this near her had brought Mark a much needed sense of security and comfort; he started to feel at ease, falling asleep in her arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark's hybrid transformation was the just the beginning. But the barrier between man and wolf can only hold up for so long ... eventually, it breaks.

Mark woke up human again after his half transformation episode, breathing a sigh of relief, though the occasional muscle spasm interrupted his day; not to mention a faint nagging in the back of his mind to break free and shift, staying in human form was getting to be difficult the rest of the week. His demeanor to everyone outside of his close circle was off-putting and uncharacteristic, irritability at the forefront; Tyler was made aware of the half transformation the morning after Mark woke up, coming over to check on him every day to see if he was holding up alright. 

Mark wasn’t sure how long he can hold it up, he had another wave of near paralyzing pain during a Twitch stream, getting concerned and puzzled messages from his followers. Putting up an elaborate lie about stretching and working out too much had put a strain on his body, his muscles involuntarily spasming; he hoped the ruse worked, but he figured sooner or later the news would have to come out. Going into the second week after half changing, things turned south from there. 

It started Tuesday afternoon, Tyler came over for a regular checking in, Mark taking a break from recording as he came down to the kitchen to sate his thirst. Amy was in the backyard letting the dogs out. Mark had the glass of water halfway to his lips when he felt his gut twist into knots and hunched over the sink, a cloud had fogged up his mind; he felt something snap - the beast growing restless and hungry. It was losing control, as was Mark. The glass fell from his hand, spinning on his heels as he stared Tyler straight in the eyes; the taller man froze for a second, holding his ground as he braced for impact once Mark started to make a beeline for him. 

Mark tackled Tyler to the ground, landing punches to his ribs and face; Tyler caught a fist, then another, the two men staring at each other. He saw an immediate change in Mark’s eyes - they were filled with rage, hungry for blood, the feral energy radiated off Mark. The man on top let out a short beastly roar, breaking free from Tyler’s grasp and slashed at the taller man’s face, receiving a punch to the jaw; Mark was knocked off Tyler, his friend putting him in a lock. 

“Snap out of it, Mark, c’mon,” Tyler growled in his ear, an elbow making contact with his ribs several times before he let go of Mark. The smaller man leaped at him, fangs sinking into Tyler’s shoulder, claws striking his arms and back; Tyler tried to shove Mark off but proved futile as the claws kept tearing into his chest, fangs barely missing his jugular as he kept Mark’s face away from his vitals. 

“Mark!” Amy came in just in time to see the carnage being done. She rushed for Tyler to get Mark off him, but was met with claws tearing at her left forearm. 

Tyler got his strength built up, overpowering Mark as he maneuvered the smaller man to be pinned on the floor belly down, one arm held down behind his back, the other out in front of him. The wild man being restrained, thrashed in Tyler’s hold, deep beastly snarls and growls being released; Amy’s heart raced as she stood paralyzed watching Mark writhe in an attempt to break free, a feral look in his eyes. He was fine this morning albeit the usual cramps he’s been having the past week, it terrified her that Mark easily snapped into a mindless beast in human form. She could see Mark losing the battle with his other half and in the near future if this keeps up, no matter what they try to do.

“Amy, in my coat there’s a little tranquilizer dart,” Tyler grumbled, grunting in trying to keep Mark down. “Stick him with it. Quick!” 

She became unstuck, running to Tyler’s coat and grabbed the small syringe in question; she picked an open spot on Mark’s back, the needle plunging straight through as she quickly administered the sedative. She backed up a bit, kneeling by Mark’s head as she ran her hand through his hair, the man’s growls becoming quiet with each second. She watched his face gradually become slack, eyes glazing over before they closed, his movements still. Tyler huffed and panted, sitting on the floor as he stared down at Mark’s unconscious body, his stomach and heart sinking.

“This is not good,” he hoarsely got out. “If this is going to keep happening, he needs to be secured somewhere.” He sniffled, rubbing his nose. “I don’t think the city is going to be safe for him. Or us.”

“Go back to Cincinnati?” Amy furrowed her brows. 

He shook his head. “I don’t think a cross country trip is going to do any of us any good.” Tyler managed to get on his feet, shuffling over to his coat, grabbing a needle filled with a lavender colored substance. Taking the cap off, he stuck it into the bite mark on his shoulder. “A werewolf running around the city spells danger. Maybe there’s some place up north where we can rent a cabin, let him figure this shit out internally.”

“We’re not going to abandon him for however long this is going to take.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Sounded like it.”

“What I’m getting at it is, he needs us there for support,” Tyler faced her, “we can rent a cabin big enough to accommodate everyone, in a place up north in the country where he can run free if he needs to. I won’t abandon him just because this curse is making things difficult for him and everyone around Mark. I stuck with him when he first started changing, and I’ll stick around even after we can all manage to get this curse under control.” 

Amy sighed through her nose, looking down at Mark with unease in her eyes. Tyler saw her anxious stare, placing his hand on her shoulder and crouched. He worried for both of them - Mark was showing signs of unpredictability the past week, it was only a matter of time for something to happen. All week Tyler was on edge, watching for any tells that Mark was going to change; this caught him by surprise but glad he and Amy were able to knock Mark out to assess the situation and come up with a plan. 

“What was that you just put in your shoulder?” Amy glanced at the bite mark on Tyler’s shoulder. 

“Small dose of diluted wolfsbane. I don’t know if werewolves in human form can pass it on, but it’s a precaution,” Tyler looked down at it. “It doesn’t look too bad, but it needs to get treated properly.” He saw the scratch mark left behind on Amy’s arm. “You feeling okay?”

Amy was starting to feel a dull throb from the claw marks, the adrenaline fading. She gently clutched at it with her right hand, deeply breathing through her nose. “I dunno,” she lowly spoke. She saw the dried blood on Mark’s fingers and chin, feeling shaken after witnessing him tear into Tyler and giving her a scratch. A wave of fear started to take over, worst case scenarios playing out in her mind that caused Amy to gently break down into tears. 

“I’m scared, Tyler,” she sniffled. “I’m so scared. I know Mark would never do this to any of us, but the look I saw in his eyes … he wasn’t there. And I don’t know if things are going to be okay once he wakes up.” Tyler gently rubbed across her shoulders. “I just want all of us to be safe. I don’t want Mark to lose himself to this, but I have a bad feeling he will.”

“We’re gonna make sure he doesn’t, okay? That’s not a hundred percent guarantee, but if we can manage for, say, three months, to help Mark get where he needs to be, then that’s the best we can do.” Tyler lifted Amy with him as he rose to his feet. “C’mon, let’s get him secure enough before we head out.”

He grumbled awake, his head pounding. Mark cracked his eyes open finding himself in the garage, a weird taste on his tongue. It was metallic, and it never went away, he was starting to think even if he drank water the taste would always be there. Mark groaned to himself, wanting to rub his eyes but found his hands bound behind his back, and a heavy chain connecting him to the hitch of Tyler’s pickup, the chain weaved and tied around it that was padlocked around his waist. He sat himself up, trying to free his hands, the two zip ties keeping them snug. 

“Are you you?” a voice came to his ears. 

Mark’s vision cleared up and saw Tyler standing at the entry door, a bandage covering his left cheek; even under a fresh change of clothes, Mark saw Tyler had other spots bandaged. His eyes widened as he was piecing together what happened, his chest and stomach tightened from remembering. Mark was starting to hate himself for not coming to his senses and closing the door on the wolf that bashed through and took over. 

“Tyler … I’m …”

“Mark, I know you’re sorry. But that won’t cut it,” Tyler sternly spoke. 

“Then what will?” Mark snapped. “You have _no idea_ how hard it is to keep this thing at bay. You don’t know what’s really going on inside me. Every second that my muscles were on fire felt like an eternity. I wanted to tear my skin off, wanting the changes to just come and take me, get it over with. Every day, it was bashing at the wall, only for the cracks to get bigger and bigger until it just suddenly broke through today.” He paused, deeply breathing through his nose as he stared Tyler down. “I don’t care if you say it won’t cut it, but I’m sorry for what I did to you. And if you don’t like to hear my apology for this asshattery, then get out.”

“I wasn’t the only one you hurt,” Tyler spoke after a minute of silence. Mark furrowed his brows, his features smoothing out, eyes widening in fear; a scent came onto his nose, knowing exactly who was standing behind Tyler a few feet from the door. 

“Amy?” she heard Mark’s voice call. He sounded guilty, his tone softened. “Christ, Amy, I’m … I’m sorry.” He could smell her bandaged wound, a stone sunk in his stomach. One of his fears came true. He swore to himself to never harm anyone close to him, no matter what state he was in. But it was too late to repair the damage done. Mark hung his head, his chest tightened as he felt a soft sob coming on. “Amy … I don’t know what I can do to let you know this won’t happen again … I feel guilty for what I did. To you. And to Tyler.” He harshly sniffed, that tightness increasing. The weight of his actions were hanging heavy on his shoulders. “I couldn’t stop it … I couldn’t stop it from attacking both of you. I tried so hard, but it’s getting too strong for me to hold back on my own.”

All week he had been trying to keep up a wall, he could hear the beast’s snarls on the other side, Mark often had nightmares where he was swallowed by a gigantic wolf, letting it control him as he was lost to the feral nature of the beast. He sniffed hard again, hearing soft footfalls on the concrete; a gentle hand ran through his hair, rubbing his back. Mark shook in his confines, eventually breaking down. 

“I’m just so tired,” he softly sobbed. “I can’t keep it up. This has been the week from hell and I feel so weak. I wish this stupid curse wasn’t put on me or my dad.” He cried, tears falling from his cheeks. “I want to put an end to this, I’m so weak and tired. I can’t keep it up anymore.” 

Amy lifted Mark’s head, brushing a tear away with her thumb. Mark’s pained brown eyes showed how much agony he was in. He could feel his muscles flare up again, his frame shaking as he tried to fight it off but the beast was inching closer through the hole it made in the wall. Amy watched his eyes turn, a gradual fade from his chocolate brown to a burnt gold; the wolf inside circled Mark, seeing through his eyes at the woman who the beast associated as his mate. Mark could feel the beast coming closer to the forefront of his being, waiting for it to take over. But it only stopped halfway, Mark becoming confused - why was it holding back? 

“Mark? Are you with us?” Amy softly asked. Her tender caresses grounding Mark in the moment when it hit him. He understood now - it was her. She brushed his hair back, whispering ‘it’s okay’ now and then to calm him down; he leaned into the touches, nuzzling her palm and the crook of her neck and shoulder as she held him close. Mark was sensing the wolf inside him was at peace for the time being, but knew this wouldn’t last long. Amy and Tyler knew it, too; even if Mark and the beast inside were one in the same, he was still a wild animal. At this juncture, the unpredictable nature of the wolf could easily override with malicious and ferocious intent.

“We need to take you out of Los Angeles,” Amy pet Mark’s hair. “We’re getting a cabin up in the redwood part of California. We’re going to be with you, help you figure out how to break this. Even if it takes us a year.” She felt him nod against her shoulder.

“Say you’re taking a break for three months,” Tyler came and joined the two, crouching to their level. “In that time, we can find different methods to get rid of it. Or keep it under control. But that’s not our choice to make. I want you to think long and hard about this, you don’t need to answer it now, but I’m just asking right here and now - do you want to control this? Or get rid of it?”

The wolf heard those words, something clicked inside it that sent a shiver down Mark’s spine that meant one thing - the beast was turning on him. The man reacting quick to try and push it back before it could come through; however, his grip was slipping, the wolf growing larger as it charged forward, snarling. He could see the wolf didn’t desire to be controlled by him or gotten rid of, it wanted to complete its goal of completely turning Mark to live the rest of his life in his werewolf form. Tyler saw the man’s eyes grow dark, a snarl forming on his lips. 

“Get … away … now,” Mark managed to get through, his voice low and gravelly. Tyler pulled Amy away to the entry door, watching Mark sit on his heels, his upper half doubling over his forehead touched the ground. Inside the wolf grew large enough that Mark’s nightmares have come true - it picked him up by the shoulder and opened its maw, the man falling victim to the beast within as he was dropped in; Mark desperately tried to climb out of the beast’s mouth, the darkness surrounding him, any attempt to win over the wolf now was futile. The inevitable worse case scenario had come true.

It had consumed him.

Mark let out a deep blood curdling scream, his mind breaking as his muscles bulged and rippled, his torso sitting upright as he broke free of the zip ties. He was starting to change into his hybrid form, a tail breaking free from his ripped pants as the newest addition; as he settled down, Mark shifted into a new state of mind, seeing the world with wide eyes that looked for prey, sniffing the air for food. He could smell blood, gold eyes locking on two humans that were recently injured; Tyler stood in front of Amy, waiting for Mark to break off and tear into him, but the wolf man was stopped short by the chain padlocked around his waist that kept him chained to the hitch of the vehicle. 

The half man half wolf snarled, getting on all fours to try and pull himself closer to them, baring his fangs while he barely moved an inch despite his muscular frame. Amy watched her boyfriend struggle, making a move as she grabbed a tranquilizer dart and hid it on her person, getting past Tyler. He saw her get a dart, seeing what she was getting at; Amy cautiously approached Mark, freezing in a crouching position once his eyes locked on to her. The hybrid sniffed her from where he was, letting a low growl out, but his posture shifted to appear curious but cautious. He registered Amy’s scent more, becoming familiar with it; the creature was starting to remember who she was, his body appearing lax now. She saw his tail lightly wag, signifying it was okay to approach him. 

She gradually reached a hand out, feeling the tension even though Mark seemed relaxed enough for her to come forward. Amy’s hand paused just before the top of Mark’s head, the hybrid breaking the hesitation and headbutted it. She let out a shaky breath as she started to pet his head, scratching behind a pointed ear; he let out a soft groan, lightly panting. Amy scooted closer, sitting on her feet, letting her changed boyfriend register her more as he sniffed about her now that she was close to him.  
Even as he stared at her, Amy could see a small part of Mark was still there in those burnt gold eyes; the wolf may have gained possession of him in body, but there was a small sliver of his mind Mark had shared with the beast. They needed get him out of LA and fast, how soon was the question. 

“Think we can get to the cabin by morning?” Amy asked Tyler, not breaking eye contact with Mark, a hand getting the dart ready.

“It’s ready when we are.”

“Okay,” Amy dropped her voice to an audible whisper, not liking what she was going to do next, but it needed to be done. “Mark, we’re gonna go on a road trip, but we need you to sleep through it, okay? Can you do that? Just -,” she stuck the dart at a random spot on Mark’s chest, “sleep.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose Pattie LuPone as the face/voice claim for the old witch.

He woke with the sun in his eyes, Mark grumbled, finding himself in a cabin room; the window was open, a gentle breeze blew through and he could smell the nature outside, down the speck of dirt. A calm came over him as he rubbed his face, rising to open the door. He was greeted by the sight of a wolf’s head staring him down, its lips dripping with drool and curled into a mean snarl. Mark shut the door and leaned back hard against it, his heart rate and breathing quickened. Cautiously turning around and cracked open the door again - the wolf was gone. Amy stood there with a look of concern on her face. 

“Mark? You okay?” she inquired. 

“I uhh, I sort of saw a … the other guy snarling at me,” he got out in a few pants, calming down from the hallucination. “Where are we?”

“Far from any city. Tyler and I didn’t know if you were going to wake up as you are now or in the other form.” She absentmindedly grabbed the scarred forearm, letting it drop at her side. “How are you feeling, though?”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that, it was like he had a storm turning inside him, a hurricane with him in the eye of it. The impending storm hovered around him, he only got a taste of it when his beastly half took over. He wasn’t out of it just yet. 

“I could be better,” was all he answered. 

“I hope we can get this resolved,” her hand reached out and laced with his fingers. He leaned forward, foreheads touching. They never were ones to be touchy with each other, but during this time, it was comforting to the both of them. His arms gradually wrapped around her, a mess of emotions rising in him as he softly sobbed into Amy’s shoulder. 

“I just want it gone, I can’t bear it anymore,” he sniffled. “But I don’t know of a way to fix the curse.” 

“Tyler’s working on that. He brought some diluted wolfsbane, how it’s gonna affect you … we’ll just have to see,” Amy rubbed his back. Mark let go, taking her hand in his, giving a nod. 

“I’m willing to try anything.” 

After being given a small dose to start things off, Mark got a reaction from the solution shortly after. His stomach was in knots, nausea getting a firm hold of him; he stumbled and almost fell over to reach the toilet, a fever settling in as he threw up. He was laid up for three days, sweating out the failed attempt. Getting a small dose of the undiluted solution nearly put Mark in a comatose state, his body in complete shock for a good day until he started to feel things again the next day. 

But when it came to night, Mark tried to sleep off the night terrors that came to him, the wolf inside restless. They’d only been there a week before Mark felt a vibration in his body. A strange noise came to his ears that caused him to be in a sleepwalking or trance state of mind and body, his feet shuffling on the wood floor, out of his bedroom and out the main door. It was a melody being carried on the breeze, Mark’s form walking barefoot through the woods and deeper into the trees. 

His entranced mind followed the melody that could be heard for miles - a herding call. The high pitched, haunting tune bored into his mind, carrying his form across streams and down hills until coming across a clearing. In the middle of it was a woman with white skin and hair of wheat, she floated high in the glade, her sweet call amplified the closer Mark got. When he got to the tree line, he paused - part of him was trying to wake up, but the kulning drowned out any resistance, his briefly focused and awake eyes becoming blank and glassy. Mark’s tranced form came through the edge of the woods and into the clearing, his eyes shifting up to the glowing woman levitating before him. 

What little clothing he wore to bed was stripped off himself as he nonchalantly tossed them aside, his naked form coming closer but began to shift without him crying out. There was no pain as he transformed to his other form, the black werewolf proceeding on all fours to the spectral woman as she came down from her heightened position. Her white clothing and brightly wheat colored hair floated about her form once she touched ground, her hands greeting the wolf’s head as she cupped his face. Her sweet appearance formed a soft smile, her blue eyes like sapphires; the werewolf’s entranced mind snapped awake once her kulning was done, but he remained calm and passive in her presence.   
The spectral woman saw inside his mind and soul, seeing a troubled man inside, her brows faintly furrowing. The fair maiden gently pet the top of Mark’s head, having pity on the beast before her. 

_“Poor soul. You have a terrible infliction bestowed upon you by a curse that you did not ask for. And I’m sure your father didn’t ask for it either. Poor boy,”_ her soft voice cooed, kissing the beast’s head. _“Fear not, little one. I know of a person who can help you. She helps all sorts of souls such as yourself. She’ll know what to do. Follow me, little one.”_

She started to walk in a direction far from where Mark came from, the beast following beside her. The maiden lead Mark down a set of trails and to a small cabin next to a cave entrance; smoke rose from the chimney, the lights shined dimly through the curtained windows. The carbin’s front door opened to reveal a stout woman of nearly sixty years of age or perhaps older, judging by her eyes. Her rugged appearance would be offputting to most, but it seemed like her and maiden knew each other; the old witch took one look at the beast and knew what the problem was. 

“How long has he been like this?” she inquired the spectral maiden. 

_“Nearly his whole life I saw inside him. He has a good heart, and means well. He did not ask for this affliction burdening him.”_

“Most don’t, either. With a few exceptions,” the witch added. “I thought I sensed a beast in the area a few days ago.” She looked to the beast. “And you’ve probably only been here nearly a week, which adds up and confirmed my suspicion. Be glad you heard her call, boy. And not the horned owl’s. You would’ve been pulled down a path of death and destruction if you did.” 

The witch came off the porch and approached the two. She held Mark’s face in her hands as she stared deep in his eyes, the wolf stared back in the same manner; the witch closed her eyes, feeling every muscle move and hearing the heartbeat, gathering what she could getting a feel for Mark’s energy before delving in and cleared out the negative energy that was built up inside him. He felt like waves were washing over him every time she moved her hands along his body, tumbling in torrential waters, the mindless feral nature being smoothed and corrected as the weight lifted off his chest. 

When the witch was through with him, she tapped the middle of his forehead with her index and middle finger, a bell sounding in Mark’s head, the wolf’s eyes rolled up, fluttering close. His form shifted back into his human self, Mark was crouched on the ground, taking a knee as he came back to his senses. He faintly shook, his dumbfounded gaze meeting a somber faced woman, gulping hard. Mark saw the spectral maiden float beside him as she softly smiled. 

_“Handsome, too,”_ she commented. 

“What is your name, boy?” the witch asked him. Mark’s attention was snapped back to the old woman. 

“M-Mark …”

“Just Mark?”

“M-Mark Fischbach … what’s going on …”

“I’ll explain later. Come inside. We need to talk.” The witch looked to the maiden. “Thank you for bringing him to me, Johanna.” The maiden gave a curtsy and a nod before turning to walk from the pair, her form vanishing in the night. Mark was dumbstruck by this, only to get a hand atop his head manually turning his gaze back to the old woman. “As I said before, and you probably don’t remember. Be glad you heard her call, Mark. If it had been a call from an owl, you would be in trouble.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he rose, now realizing he was naked in front of the witch, covering his crotch up with his hands. 

“You’ll know soon enough. Now come. Let’s chat.” Mark gave her a suspicious stare as her back was turned to him, but she whipped around with that stern stare his demeanor changed as he followed her inside the cabin. 

She gave him a set of old clothing that looked straight from the Victorian period. Blue woolen pants and a striped button up shirt with no collar and boots and socks; the pants irritated him briefly but settled down as he sat in a chair next to the fireplace. The witch sat across from him, staring at him with steely beep blue eyes, her brown hair pinned and curled in a bun, she wore trousers underneath her dress, a brown apron was adorned on her person. One arm laid in her lap, as the other leaned her hand into her face as her middle finger across the top of her lip as her index was perpendicular on her cheek. Mark felt a little intimidated by her stare, softly gulping and opened his mouth to say something but she finally spoke. 

“When did your father pass?”

Well, that caught him off guard. Mark briefly bowed his head to look at his fidgeting fingers, lifting his head up, “When I was eighteen.”

“Was that when it first started?”

“Yes. I was … maybe five or six months into me changing when I finally asked him what was happening to me. He then told me of the witch that cursed him when he was in Korea.”

“You were scared, weren’t you,” her questions were blunt and monotone, Mark felt like he was being interrogated for a crime. 

“I … I was. I had friends that watched over me during the full moon, but … even if I could sort of control myself, I still acted out and nearly killed them on separate occasions.” He paused, his hands ceasing the fidgeting. “I’m still scared now. I don’t know what to do or what’s gonna happen to me. I’m reaching thirty and don’t know if that’ll have any significance to me changing outside of the cycle.”

She leaned her head on a propped up hand, her index on her temple. “Numbers don’t mean anything. When you were born, it took the curse eighteen years to mature inside you and become a part of you. However, that particular number is the only significant part of a werewolf’s life. Like a coming of age. Coming into your powers, harnessing energy from the moon.”

“I didn’t want this in the first place.”

The witch sat forward clasping her hands. “I know you didn’t. I’m merely laying things out for you to understand, Mark. I will help you, but I see that you’re just past the point of no return. The wolf is restless. It’s hungry, it needs to feed. If we had crossed paths a few months ago, I would have removed the curse from you with no problems.” She paused, seeing Mark sink in his seat, she sat back. “But we’ll need to work together. Have you noticed the wolf’s mood since coming out here to the forest?”

“Well, it hasn’t made a move to change and kill anything … or anyone.”

“It feels less pent up, less agitated out here. I’m assuming you came from the urban jungles south of here? LA? San Diego?” Mark nodded. “Those environments make any creature feel claustrophobic. It’ll make them lash out. Apart from being barely past the point of no return and it controls your life, it felt cooped up. And it attacked.” She saw Mark’s face fall subtly. “It’s brought harm to people close to you, hasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Mark lowly replied. “My girlfriend and my friend that I have watch over me during the cycles.”

“And they thought it would be best to bring you up here, to the wilderness.” Mark nodded again. “Smart move.” 

“You brought up me being past the point of no return. What does that mean? Am I stuck with this?”

“I said just barely past it. You still have a fighting chance. But you need to stay close to me in order for this to work. Have you and your friends tried anything?”

“Tyler brought some wolfsbane, one diluted and one not. Both were … very unpleasant on my body. One gave me a fever for three days, the other made me almost cataonic.”

“That would have worked prior to the wolf consuming you and taking control. Now that it’s the main driving force, wolfsbane can and will work to kill you.” 

One thing suddenly popped in his head as he sat there across from the witch. “So … why hasn’t it pushed me back and taken control? This whole time, he’s been quiet. I haven’t changed until I came across that ghost lady.” 

“Because it knows it’s safe out here, and protective of your friend and partner. It will certainly push you aside and transform your body should any danger come to your party. Plus Johanna has that effect on most werecreatures. The beast inside feels safe around her. She is a kind spirit that gives them solace, even if for a little while.” She paused, smirking. “And despite it not wanting to be rid of you, it knows what I’m capable of. It has no choice now. I cleansed most of the negative weight it carried, but there’s more to be done. Whatever sparks it to make you attack me, don’t worry about me. I’ve dealt with hundreds of werewolves. I don’t scare easily.”

Mark’s eyes faintly squinted, his head tilted subtly. “I don’t think you told me your name.”

“Oh, yes, where are my manners?” she scoffed at herself. She proceeded to grab a cigarette and light it, taking a drag. “My name is Sofia Prudence. Witch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ... I feel bad for nearly abandoning this fic because I couldn't get the muse for it back. Life and other writing commitments got in the way of this. And I didn't know if I was gonna be able to write anymore for this and let it get buried. I don't currently have anymore big projects in the works, so I'm hoping to keep continue writing for this. Thank you to anyone who's read and left a kudos since the last time I updated this, let's me know this work is not totally dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Face claim for Constantine - David Bowie  
> Face claim or Sofia - Patti LuPone

Amy woke feeling a very cool draft, her bleary eyes saw the window was open, she rose out of bed to close it but something outside caught her eye. A horned owl sat on a branch just outside, its dark orange eyes piercing into her. Not too far from the tree a few feet away was a figure in a large duster coat that hung around his shoulders, his brimmed hat slanted over an eye. The owl hooted at Amy before flying away and landed on the man’s shoulder. She furrowed her brows at the figure - the hell did he want? She wanted to get back to sleep, but something about the mysterious figure drew her out of the cabin. She saw the door to Mark’s bedroom was open, wary of that as she went out. Tyler slept in the same room in a different bed, hearing the door open; he wasn’t sleeping very well and was easily awoken. After a quick investigation, he saw a man standing a few feet away from the porch of the cabin, Amy on the first step; Tyler got beside her and stood in front to her right. 

“What do you want?” he asked the stranger, ready to defend. 

“Easy, boy, no need to fuss. I mean both of you no harm,” he stepped closer, lifting his hat a bit to reveal a pair of heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one green, one pupil larger than the other. His strong jaw accompanied a slightly gaunt face, a cunning look about his appearance. The stranger removed his hat, neatly cut orange hair adorned his head, he swooped back any bangs that got too in the way. “I came for your help. I’m Constantine MacAllister, and your friend is in danger. Someone I’m well acquainted with but is also my enemy kidnapped him. If we don’t do anything about it now she could turn him against you.”

Amy paused, a sixth sense was kicking in that things didn’t sit right with her. “I know he’s not here, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a break in …”

“They probably did that on purpose,” Tyler was unknowingly saying what the stranger wanted to hear.

“Precisely,” Constantine spoke. “She is a wily and cunning character. But dangerous most of all. I would say let’s go now, but we need time to procure strength before we go in. She’s drained me of most of my power,” he held up a hand palm facing up, a small crackle and a blue flame produced in his hand, “I’m afraid I’m too weak to stop her at the moment.” He looked to Amy and Tyler. “That’s where you two come in. I have things for you.” He produced a hat pin and a cruel looking dagger. “Use the pin to paralyze her, any place will do. Then … kill her. Thrust this dagger into her heart. Only by killing will things be reversed.” He held them up before them, feigning a pleading tone, “Please? Will you do it?”

Tyler and Amy glanced at each other, Amy wished she could telepathically speak to him and tell him no, but Tyler was blinded by wanting to get Mark back that he stepped forward and took the dagger and pin. Constantine tried to not smile maniacally as Tyler took them, but sent Amy a quick glance her way that told her that MacAllister knew she couldn’t trust him. 

“I thank you kindly,” Constantine fixed his hat back on his head. “Best to wait, think of a plan to get close and take the bitch out. I’ll be in touch. Ta ta.” 

He walked a few feet before he was gone in the blink of an eye. Amy approached Tyler, taking the pin and dagger out of his hands, running back into the cabin. She knew there was a small safe that was randomly open in their room, Tyler close on her heels, Amy threw them in the safe and locked the door, spinning the dial. Tyler glared at her, standing in the doorway. 

“Did you not hear what he said? We need those,” he gestured to the closed safe.

“I don’t know how, but I got a bad vibe from him, like, he’s the dangerous one,” Amy stood. Tyler crossed his arms, Amy rolled her eyes. “Look, yes, Mark is gone, but maybe we should just go look for him first. We have all day to find where he went. Let’s just … search for three days, and if he’s not back by then we can …” she sighed, not wanting to say it, “somehow summon Constantine back and get Mark.” She saw Tyler’s stern gaze still on his face, Amy sighed - since when did Tyler become stubborn? He hardly seemed the type. “Tyler, I need you to trust me on this. I got this … weird feeling that Mark is okay and that we should be worried about Constantine more.” 

Tyler deeply sighed through his nose, face softening the more he realized Mark probably was fine and didn’t need to be rescued like a damsel right away; he knew his friend was smart enough to get himself out of any situation and find his way back. He nodded, relaxing as he let his arms drop to his sides, Amy letting out a sigh of relief as the two rested for a short while before getting up and went to search for Mark. 

He had a sleepless night, barely finding any comfort on the sofa he was shacked up on; Sofia greeted him with a gruff ‘morning’ - seems like she didn’t get enough sleep either. Mark sat up on the couch, blanket draped over his shoulders, rising to sit at the small table. Sofia looked at him with a raised brow. 

“Are you expecting me to serve you as well?” she asked as she prepared coffee.

He stammered a bit. “Well, I … uhh …”

“Make yourself at home, fix yourself breakfast if you like, but do not interact with me any further until I’ve had my coffee.” 

Mark immediately nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” he quickly uttered, fixing his own cup of coffee, staying to his diet and skipped breakfast. 

As it got to be late morning, Mark watched Sofia curiously - this woman was going to help him? The wolf inside him growled at her, but silenced when Sofia glanced at Mark with a warning in her eye - she knew when the beast inside was acting up. Mark felt it claw at the door, himself fighting it back but every once in a while that warning look turned into worry, or maybe it was pity. He shook in his seat after he stopped it coming through for now, but he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, mind clouding up; Mark grasped at his chest, slumping forward out of his seat and onto the floor. Sofia heard him fall over, deep concern on her face and rushed over, helping Mark to sit up. 

Sofia froze when she felt a presence she was afraid would try and sabotage her, she stepped back from Mark’s crumpled form. “Get out of that boy at once, MacAllister. How are you able to manifest in him?”

“I met the welp’s girlfriend and simple minded friend,” MacAllister’s voice came out of Mark’s mouth, raising Mark’s head to look up at Sofia - his eyes were green in one and blue in the other. “Amazing how I’m getting stronger at possessing people through meeting acquaintances of theirs without even knowing what they look like. Just by his scent and energy alone I can track him down and latch on. His musk was rife on his girl.”

Sofia faintly trembled but kept a brave face on. She knew Constantine was nearby, the coward. Too afraid to come and face her, using other people to get through to her. “You won’t have the boy, MacAllister. You’re a fool for trying to take him at this stage.”

“Oh, I think I’ve come just in time. He’s doubting you, Sofi. His soul and mind in the right condition to easily pull him to me, show him what you mean to do with him. I can make him see who you really are. Under my guidance, he’ll grow into the most powerful being, I can make him realize that he shouldn’t be ashamed of being what he is,” MacAllister made Mark’s body stand, a grin appeared on his lips. 

Sofia sighed through her nose. “I have spoken to the boy and can see he wants to be rid of the beast, not control or be controlled by it. I know that you’re taking advantage because of this crucial point in the curse becoming more of a threat to Mark than it already is, but he’s not the only werewolf I’ve freed from your clutches.” The grin on Mark’s face disappeared. “I may be old, and my powers are perhaps aren’t what they used to be, but know that you are the weakest out of the two of us, Constantine. You have no power over me, or the boy.”

“Come, Mark,” MacAllister’s voice was heard outside. 

Sofia couldn’t stop Mark’s body from walking out the door, rushing to the front door after Mark had gotten off the porch and approached Constantine. The warlock grinned at Sofia. “The weakest of the two, you say? A week ago, I couldn’t step foot in your territory. Look at me now.”

MacAllister had Mark stop in front of him, the warlock finally getting a good look at him, brushing back his bangs with a finger. “Such a looker.” Constantine focused his eyes, pressing his index finger against Mark’s forehead. “I’m speaking to the beast inside, imprisoned, weakened by the witch who wishes to rid you. What do you wish for?”

A guttural sound rose from Mark’s stomach and came out as a deep snarl. “To feed. To control. To be free.”

“I can offer you those things, beast. Kill her, and I can set you free.” 

“Mark,” Sofia called out, reaching into Mark’s psyche. “Fight back, reach through.” 

Mark’s face grimaced and winced, another snarl escaping that became a human scream, Mark pulling away and going to punch Constantine in the face but his fist went right through - a mirage. The simulacrum of MacAllister chuckled, fading in the early afternoon light; Sofia had a brief sigh of relief, but rushed to Mark when she saw him falter to his knees and hands, sensing the beast inside was trying to come through. 

She faced Mark at his level, putting his head in her hands; Mark’s brows were deeply furrowed, desperately fighting the beast inside, feeling like his chest was going to burst open as pain wracked his form. Sofia held him close in a tight embrace, quickly pricking her thumb and placed it on his forehead once she broke away from him. Mark froze once her bloody thumb pressed against him, the wolf inside shrinking away for the moment as Sofia uttered words in Welsh; his eyes softened and glazed over, body going limp, the witch catching him in her arms, holding him close again. 

“It’s okay, breathe,” she calmly uttered. “He may have broken through to you, but I won’t let this happen again. We have to work quickly.” 

Mark’s mind was a scrambled mess, a wave and mix of emotions went through him all at once. “I just want to go home. Back to my normal life,” he mumbled, his voice broken and desperate. “No more of this … please.”

“I promise you you will go back to your normal life. You didn’t ask to be in the middle of a war between me and that warlock, I know. We need each other more than ever now. Help one another. I can see you have a strong want and need to get rid of this creature, focus on that, and we can get through this. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah,” he weakly spoke. “What did you do to me?”

“I placed a temporary protective barrier around your mind so he doesn’t appear like he did,” Sofia broke away, taking pity on Mark. “I never wanted this to happen but here we are. He came a lot sooner than I expected, which spells trouble for you and I.”

“Which means …”

“We start our work now.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a LONG ASS chapter, couldn't find a good place to stop. Apologies ahead of time if it slogged a bit. 
> 
> For Nicodemus I chose Donald Sutherland as his voice

They have covered a three mile radius from the cabin, there seemed to have been no sign of Mark; Amy had found herself in a heavily dense wooded area, she wasn’t entirely aware that this was in the same area Mark’s paw prints were, should she have walked another hundred feet from where she currently was. She passed under a tree that had fallen over when a chill ran up her spine, catching her by surprise and faint panic. The sounds around her had gone mute, she couldn’t hear birds singing or even the breeze but she felt it, the pressured air clung to Amy’s body as she stood in fear. She couldn’t hear her own breathing or heartbeat, but a small whisper rose to her ears as Amy darted her eyes about her searching for the source. 

_“Do not worry, rising star, he is safe with her. Do not trust the warlock, save your friend from his influence. Break the seal to reunite and to save each other from the veil.”_

Everything resumed in a flash, like she had been gently pushed back by an invisible hand on her chest. Amy turned around, trying to look for the source of the voice again, eyes glancing across her environment. She soon composed herself, retracing her steps and met back with Tyler at the rendezvous point before they both headed back to the cabin, as they had been searching the whole afternoon and it was getting dark out. Tyler saw Amy had something on her mind, however he didn’t want to press, knowing that Mark was the primary focus - though with Constantine flying under both their radar, the warlock saw through Tyler and into Amy’s mind; MacAllister gave a soft sharp gasp as he saw her recent memory - he had heard the voice before when he was a young lad, the first sign of when a new magic user is being recognized. 

He shifted out of Tyler’s mind as he sat in his lair, a scowl growing on his face. He’d have to work fast to grow his strength back, no matter how many incantations it takes for him to feel the dark forces rise up and feed on him in order to grant him the powers he once had. But he wasn’t the only one being made aware of a new witch in these woods. 

Sofia felt a tingle in her mind as she was preparing a hot tea for Mark to ingest. She softly gasped, her eyes subtly widened a quick look of surprise on her face before her features smoothed out into a look of relief. It had been so long she felt the connection of another daywalker in her being, they are so far and few in between nowadays; it warmed her soul knowing another of her kind had been recognized by the spirits and powers that be, the calling to a new magic user was something to behold. Sofia poured the hot water into a mug, a tea infuser packed with herbs hung on a chain and sat at the bottom, the witch let the mixture steep for three minutes before she passed the mug to Mark who had been looking mentally exhausted and fatigued. That entire afternoon was spent with him doing breathing exercises and focusing his mind however the events earlier with MacAllister piloting his body and trying to get the wolf to rise and kill Sofia had thrown him into a loop of negative emotions; it was hard to clear them, and Sofia could feel it radiate of him as he sat there. 

He graciously took the mug, sipping it and tasted a concoction of peppermint, dandelion, ginger, and juniper. Just smelling it sent a rush of energy through his system, waking his senses; he glanced up at Sofia, the witch seeing that he could immediately feel the effects of the tea, a twinkle came to her eye. The more he sipped, Mark felt renewed and a sense of calm being restored. 

“Thank you,” he quietly spoke, taking another gulp and set it down on the coffee table between them. 

She nodded, sitting down in her chair opposite him. “Simple cleansing tea, that’s all,” she lightly shrugged. “Tonight, I want you to go to redwood that has a hollow at the base, and that hollow leads down to a den. There’s someone in that den I want you to meet and hear from.”

“There’s dozens of redwoods with hollows though,” Mark furrowed his brows faintly. 

“Let the spirits and energy that surrounds speak to you, let them guide you to it. But the trek there and getting into the den will test you and have you face your fear. Many have tried to reach him who are in the same position as you are, and so few have succeeded. This is where MacAllister has succeeded many times before,” Sofia warned him. “Those few who have made it inside and have spoken to the creature I have saved from Constantine’s clutches. The others, as you can already tell, weren’t saved and met destruction in horrifying ways. By either MacAllister’s doing … or my own.”

Mark’s stomach and heart sank at the low tone and graveness in Sofia’s voice at those words. He tried to remain optimistic, but the beast inside wanted to feed him that fear and steer him away, to let Mark intentionally lose and surrender to MacAllister’s influence. And as the beast sat there before the witch, it felt her twist its negative energy and wring it out, the discomfort evident on Mark’s face as he opened himself up to Sofia for help once he felt it rising and trying to dissuade him. They had practiced this earlier in the day during those breathing and focusing sessions; she taught him to open his energy to her, to his bare soul and mind in efforts to erode the negativity the beast burdened him with. 

“So … who is it that I need to see?” Mark picked up the mug and drank more. 

Sofia fell silent, Mark saw the hesitation on her face to answer. He felt like he opened a wound she didn’t want him to see, Mark was about to apologize before the witch spoke, “Someone dear to me,” her eyes started to water for a moment but she steeled herself. “A close friend.” She lightly sniffled and deeply breathed. “Now, finish your tea. You’re going to need all the strength and energy you need for this task.”

Mark nodded, the two of them sitting in silence as he drank the herbal blend. Once nightfall had come, Sofia had given him a small deerskin pouch with a shard of fluorite and black obsidian to wear around his neck. Mark glanced back at her with faint apprehension and hesitation before he knew he had to go this alone and deeply breathed before trekking out, opening himself up to the forest before him as he felt it starting to guide him. Sofia watched him like she had done so many times to other souls who traveled the right path - but it was the halfway point that was proven to be difficult. She had prayed that he would make it through. 

He could feel the energy and forces at work guide him, it felt a bit strange to be sensing these things and his main instinct was to shut himself off and go about his own path but … doing so he knew would cause him trouble. Getting attuned to energies that vibrated around him sent Mark through a bizarre self discovery journey - by opening himself to these things that were to help him brought him the calmness he needed and was looking for. And it made him realize that maybe he should be doing this more often. 

Mark figured he was getting at a halfway point somewhere, he wasn’t entirely sure how far this redwood was from Sofia’s realm. He stepped past one boulder when a shiver ran up his spine, and it wasn’t a good one either. He felt an itch in the back of his mind, Mark tried to refocus and find the line to follow; but he felt a weight had come off him - the pouch that hung around his neck was gone. Mark searched the ground for it, thinking it had slipped off. The air around him grew heavy, his body soon tingled with a thousand pinpricks, that white noise feeling one would get after their foot or leg had fallen asleep spread across his form, Mark grimaced and tried to vocalize but all he could do was try to breathe only take gasp and hyperventilate heavily. His eyes widened in panic, the beast was pushing forward, taking advantage of him.

He crumpled to the ground, fingers digging into the dirt as a deep growl surged out of him; Mark whined shortly after, feeling pain wrack him, he glanced up at the sky through watery pain stricken eyes and saw through the trees the moon was not even full, half of its face shined. He let out a scream feeling the wolf inside tear at his sanity and strength, making Mark feel weak and defeated; but his determined human spirit was the one anchor holding him together, that and his own competitiveness. He felt a presence before him, Mark slowly raised his head to see a vision of his other form snarling down at him.

“I … won’t … let … you … win …,” he groaned at the beast, setting his body into a lunging position as he gave another cry and pushed through, breaking through the shadow and sprinted. He felt it pull back on him, Mark tripped and rolled once, scrambling to all fours; he saw the vision again appear, Mark rose to a low crouch in a wrestling start position. Sweat glistened on his forehead and face, his chest heaved as he breathed heavily, his stare determined and assertive in wanting to gain control over his own body again. 

“Fuck … off,” he panted at the shadow. “You wanna fight me? Let’s fight.”

The shadow of his beastly form snarled, charging at him. Mark came at it fast, sweeping it off its feet and pinned it, landing a punch to the shadow beast’s face and landing another on its ribs. He picked it up and slammed it hard on the ground, pinning it once again and jabbed it twice in the face, sending another punch to its chest. His competitive drive and restored energy fueled him as Mark toppled the spectral representation of his other half. The specter was getting overpowered by the human half of the man it inhabited, the shadowed form wriggling its way out of Mark’s hold, staring at him in silence. Mark gradually rose to his feet as he saw it scramble out of his grasp, giving it a chilling glare as he heavily panted. 

“You … won’t … defeat me,” he huffed. The spectral wolf licked its maw and bounded off away from Mark. The man won this round, the beast inside him retreating and became quiet. Mark looked down at his feet and saw the deerskin pouch laying in the dirt, he leaned down and picked it up, placing the two stones in the bag around his neck; Mark recentered himself and opened up again, feeling the same energies as before lead him a few feet from where he was stopped and came upon a giant redwood. 

Standing before it, there was a shift in energy. It felt … off but not in a horrible way, it was … unbalanced at most. Mark glanced about his environment before he passed through the hollow’s threshold and found a natural incline that led down to a cavernous den. Once inside he found there to be torches that seemed to burn forever leading to a pool of reflective water, across the small pond, in a nook that looked to have been carved out laid a gray haired beast - another werewolf. The creature appeared old, but still fit with how big it was, the wolf was curled up mostly, it’s upper half resting on a small platform. Mark took a few more steps, seeing the werewolf stir, expecting it to wake up but it lowly purred and never did wake. 

He furrowed his brows. “Um … hello? I’m … I’m Mark,” he spoke in a normal volume, his voice naturally reverberating in the small cave. “Sofia sent me to speak with you.”

A glint caught his eye in the pool, the sparkle rising out of it and floated towards him. Mark opened his hand as the glowing stone landed in his palm - it was white and it twinkled in the torch’s light. The stone tingled and vibrated intensely in his hand, Mark closed around it and sensed a mental link connecting him to the slumbering beast, sharply inhaling, his mind buzzing like he had a caffeine hit before it settled down. 

_“Hello, Mark,”_ a calming deep baritone voice spoke to him telepathically, it had a warm and welcoming tone. _“So glad to meet you. My name is Nicodemus. I can tell you’re struggling internally with yourself.”_

“Greatly,” Mark grumbled.

Nicodemus chuckled lightly. _“I say that to anyone who’s strong enough and found their way here. And they usually answer the same. But some have often come for guidance. Those who don’t wish to rid themselves of what they are. Seek counsel from an old timer like me. Have a seat.”_ He paused, Mark sat on the ground cross legged before Nicodemus continued. _“Being a werewolf, I’m sure Sofia has told you, or maybe you figured out on your own, is a blessing to some and a curse to others. I see into you, and I see you had no desire to have this afflict you the way it has been. I’m sorry this has brought you nothing but pain, it’s not easy most of the time.”_

“Then why be like this at all? Why let this … thing … be a part of your every waking life?”

_“There are some of us who are given this life through hexes, curses, like your father. Those who are afflicted this way either learn to embrace it and control it early on or find ways to get rid of it, and there are some of us who are given this life another way … born as one. For this, there is no cure. It is who we are.”_ He paused. _“It is who … I am. I was born this way. And at times, yes, I was conflicted and never wished I was one. But I met an incredible woman who helped me gain control and I felt more at peace with myself … and she eventually became my wife. Sofia.”_

Mark’s eyes faintly widened at the revelation. That’s why she looked remorseful … but … what happened to them? A vision came across his mind, Mark closed his eyes he started to see stills of life dance across his mind’s eye. He saw a young Nicodemus meeting a young Sofia, both of them in their 20s, the image was a small wedding; Mark saw how incredibly happy Sofia was, seeing a loving gaze in her eye as she looked to a bearded Nicodemus.

_“She grounded me, and I lifted her up, became her protector. She became one of the most powerful witches I’ve ever met. She even took in a student who came to seek a tutor …,”_ his tone changed, _“but as you’ll soon learn … things didn’t entirely work out.”_

The next few visions Mark saw made his stomach hurt - the student whom Sofia took in was none other than Constantine. And he was a promising warlock with a bright future … it was discovered though he delved into the darker arcane magicks too quickly and too deeply, and he embraced this corruption. Mark heard distant voices as he saw the stills flash across his mind’s eye.

_“I took you in to become a healer, a daywalker. And this is how you repay me for teaching you our ways? You are no follower of the light. You’d rather stray and cause destruction wherever you go,” Sofia scolded._

_“But this is how we all gain more and become rulers of the earth! Wouldn’t you rather wield such awesome power that you can bend time and reality to your will?”_

_“We do not gain and control our powers for conquest. We do it to help others. You’d rather serve a master who will teach you the ways of pain and suffering.”_

_“I’d rather serve a teacher who encourages me to seek avenues to become one of the greatest warlocks to have ever lived! And you call yourself a powerful wielder.” A slap was delivered across his face._

_“To speak the language of demons in order to become a master warlock is a quick and extremely dangerous and incredibly stupid thing to do, boy,” Sofia chided him, soon pointing to the door. “I will have no student of mine learning the dark arcane under my roof.”_

That series of stills ended, Mark opened his eyes to see Nicodemus slumbering. He was understanding now, but the wolf had more to show him; in a quick series fast appearing visions, Mark saw what caused Nicodemus to be this way - Constantine had come back to Sofia to show how truly great he had become, Nicodemus did his duty in protecting and defending as he felt a great threat from MacAllister to cause harm towards Sofia, he shifted into his werewolf form under a half moon as a battle of magicks ensued between Sofia and Constantine however Nicodemus was hit by a spell, and by doing so weakened Sofia - MacAllister knew the two shared a bond that boosted Sofia’s magic, by removing the one element that helped her, Constantine would’ve won this and defeated them both if Sofia had not immediately acted upon a spell that drained the warlock of most of his powers, banishing and blocking his communication with the darker arcane, but by doing so sacrificing a large chunk of her own powers. 

_“After she had done all she could to ensure Constantine would never restore his connection, Sofia came to me in time. The hex I was hit with would have caused me to have internally bleed out, she stopped it in time but knew the spell she had cast wouldn’t last long,”_ Nicodemus explained. _“And so she placed me under this suspended time spell, Sleeping Beauty you can call it, and sealed a part of myself into this piece of moonstone you hold in your hand.”_

Mark opened his eyes, glancing down at his closed hand and back up at the slumbering wolf. He understood Sofia’s demeanor and why she seemed a bit crotchety at times, he began to take pity on her - she sacrificed nearly everything to save Nicodemus, the years had made her bitter because of what transpired years ago. 

_“My backstory aside, you come seeking guidance and answers.”_

“I just want to know what would it take to get this removed from me at this stage without, you know, killing me,” Mark simply put it. “Sofia said I was just past the point of no return, and not even wolfsbane would work. I’m … I’m at a loss.” 

_“Your curse is a rather interesting one. Certainly a cruel one, and one I have known about in a couple points in my lifetime. It’s not any easy thing to control, the beast within. And at this point in your life, I’m sorry it has come to this. Most curses of this nature are lived out its entire life, there’s hardly anything to be done to free you of it.”_ Mark looked defeated, downcasting his eyes. So he was to be stuck with this. _“However …,”_ Mark raised his head to the slumbering wolf, seeing the beast’s abdomen rise and fall, _“if I remember correctly … there is one way to rid it. But it won’t be an easy thing to hear. Sofia knows of it, but doesn’t dare tell.”_

“Why won’t she tell me?”

_“Because of the nature of the cure, it won't be something you want to hear, and might turn you away. Since no wolfsbane would do, and silver would most certainly kill you, only one thing remains … redemption. But by doing so, you’ll have to surrender completely to the beast.”_

“I have to go through hell and back in one piece, is what you’re saying.” Mark thought for a moment. “I’ve done that a couple times, but not in this context …”

_“In a sense, yes. Fall into the maw of the beast, willingly. Let go and become truly one. To rise in victory, you must fall and lose. You won’t know who you are, or who your allies are, and you may find yourself siding with the forces of destruction and death, but redeeming yourself by protecting those around you and defeating the evil that wishes to control you, then the burden will lift. It won’t be easy. I have only known one werewolf who has succeeded, the others, unfortunately, have not.”_

Mark sat there contemplating if there was another way. He was scared to willingly lose himself to his other half; what if he hurt Tyler and Amy? What if he … kills them? What was he to do if he loses himself entirely and not be able to come out? Be lost and roam the woods as a mindless killing machine? The pessimistic thoughts kept running circles around his head, however he felt a thrum from the moonstone he held in his hand as a wave of calmness breezed over him; Mark looked up to the beast resting in the nook, it cracked its eyes open briefly revealing two eyes covered by a light grey haze. He and Nicodemus took a deep breath together, the beast closing its eyes as they exhaled. 

_“It’s a frightening time, I know. And you may certainly have your doubts, but if you heed to my words and remember them, Mark, you will succeed. My star, my Sofia, grounds me. You have your own star, and a rising one at that. She is your rock, and you have complete trust in her. My one last bit of advice, Mark, is to focus on her as you fall. Keep her with you when you give in, she is your tether and will keep you grounded as you descend into hell and rise out of it, freeing yourself of this curse,”_ Nicodemus gave a mighty yawn, the beast nuzzling its head into his paws. _“Have faith in her, and most importantly, in yourself. You will succeed. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you soon, Mark. Take care.”_

Mark was soon disconnected from the wolf, the moonstone forcing his hand open and floated back to the pool before sinking into the water. He gazed upon the slumbering wolf with an understanding of what must be done; a determined look came over Mark’s eyes, taking another deep breath before returning back to Sofia. She stood on the porch of her cabin, sensing in Mark a focused mind and a strengthened heart. He met her at the top of the steps, the witch gazing into his eyes with a sense of pride, Mark softly smiling for a moment before he had a rush of nerves settle into him. 

“I’m scared of what might happen,” he mumbled to her. “I know Nicodemus said to have faith and focus, but …,” he steeled himself, pushing himself forward, “I have to come out on top. I have to.”

“Fighting oneself is a burden we all endure,” Sofia leaned against a pole. “You have a fierce competitive spirit that will pull you through. What you will go through will be perhaps the hardest competition you’ve been in. Keep that faith, keep that focus, and be triumphant. You know what must be done then.”

“Yeah,” Mark nodded, glancing to Sofia with confidence, “and I’m gonna fight like hell.”


End file.
